The Lords of the Slave
by Nymphai
Summary: In the midst of coming war, friendships are tested, relationships are destroyed, and hope is found before, during, and after the horror of Voldemort. Marauder era. SB/OC, JP/LE, SS/OC, SS/BL. Citrusy. Betrayal, hurt/comfort, disillusionment, love.
1. Nine Crimes

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AN: Lets try this again shall we? Please review! Also, I sort of reject the idea that the plot needs to follow cannon to truly reflect the characters, and I've tried to do that here. All feedback is appreciated, truly. In fact, I stop posting after a few chapters if I get no reviews because hey, if it makes you happy or mad I'm doing something right, if not, I'm wasting our time and the servers space. In regards to the story itself, here is a notice of authors intent, if not an actual summary:

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I hope to create a world within the series,which charts the lives of some of the characters we love in their formative years. I am starting from the "Age of the Marauders" and trying to develop a world that fits smoothly into the world of the books without being obvious and short. I am also titling each chapter after a song that I think captures the mood I want to convey so if you use you can have a soundtrack to this that will hopefully help. Anyway, this is a story about love and all the areas of grey it encompasses, and the changing of emotions and fate over the years. Sometimes we want what we can never have, and sometimes we want that which can never want us. Its amazing how little this tends to matter.

The songs used as titles are not mine, nor is the HP universe or any of the non-original characters, all of it belongs to JK Rowling. (Except the songs, those belong to the individual artists).

CHAPTER 1

9 Crimes

Sirius squeezed his eyes shut and feigned sleep. He could feel her weight shift as she slowly rose out of the bed, letting the linen sheets gently fall away from her body. Normally this was the point where he would roll over and charm his partner into another go, but this was different. Sirius knew that he should never have allowed himself this night with her, that they had fundamentally changed the rules of the game. He focused on the cracks in the walls ancient stone instead of the soft rustle of fabric as she pulled on the dress that had been discarded on the floor earlier in the night. He counted the number of stones as he heard the soft tread of her feet on the flagstone. He imagined how many workers had carved these stones as he heard her ever so carefully open the door and vanish into the inky blackness before the dawn. He rolled onto his back and willed himself never to think of this again.

Outside, the world still turned, oblivious.

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Breakfast was a rather painful charade. Sirius was less boisterous than normal, keeping his eyes trained on his empty plate lest his they betray him and wander over to her. James, never one for subtlety, ploughed on, oblivious.

"Oi mate, the house elves aren't going to send up bacon forever."

"Hmm?"

"You haven't eaten anything! And don't try to tell me your not hungry, not after last night!"

Sirius cut a quick look towards his best friend and only through the grace of god was able to keep his gaze from flickering towards the strawberry blond hunched over a book nearby. James would never have missed a tell like that.

"I'm sure I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about Prongs."

Of course, he knew exactly what the dark haired young man across from him was implying. Sirius hadn't slept in the Gryffindor dorm last night, and almost everyone, especially James, knew that that meant Sirius had spent the night with a lady-friend.

"Was it the Room of Requirement this time? I didn't use it, just in case you where already engaging its hospitality."

Sirius was suddenly very interested in the sausage links on the table, and ignored the question.

James grinned from ear to ear and continued, in a softer, more conspiratorial voice this time.

"Oh! The so the Shrieking Shack then? She must be kinky."

Sirius blushed faintly and prayed she wasn't listening, although he had the singular suspicion that she was. In fact, he was fairly sure she was cursing his existence under her breath.

Luckily, before James could take his blush as some sort of confirmation, Remus sank into the bench next to James and distracted him.

"Morning!" the slightly out-of-breath Remus exclaimed.

"Morning."

"Morning. Guess where Padfoot was prowling last night?"

Sirius aimed a swift kick at James' shin under the table and debated how to best hex his best friend without getting detention.

"If its all the same to you, I'd really rather not. Being told of my friends latest sexploits before breakfast is just a little too much for celibate me."

Remus was really far too even-tempered for his own good, as he was able to remind his two playboy friends of his utter loneliness while cracking a smile. They knew how hard it must be to have a secret like his, something that pushed everyone else away, yet it didn't seem to bother him. Much.

Sirius seized the chance.

"So James, ready to destroy some Slytherin pride tomorrow at the match?"

"Course. When am I not?"

And with that, James was all Quidditch for the rest of breakfast and the rather long walk to Herbology. With a few well placed shrugs and nods, Sirius was free to turn his mind to more pressing matters without the interference of James' incessant prying, although once or twice he was sure he saw Remus looking at him strangely.

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This wouldn't do at all, he had to talk to her and try to sort this out before all hell broke loose.

She had been trying to keep from staring at him all morning. Every time she looked up from her prop of a text, her heart would protest against the smooth line of his jaw or the curve of his spine, that she had seen in such detail the night before. She chided herself mentally, wondering what the hell she was doing. Sirius Black was a mistake, a pestilence upon her serenity that she should never have allowed entrance to. She had sat through breakfast, seething at his every word and resenting her betrayal of herself.

"I know better. I know better and he's an idiot and I'm so much worse for letting it happen."

She was waging a war against herself, hurt and confused by the welling of emotions inside her traitorous heart. Part of her, the larger part in fact, was chalking their tryst up as a type of passive-aggressive, self-destructive behavior that was simply manifesting in her reaction to one of her most chauvinistic friends. Despite this, their was a loud minority within her that wanted to damn everything she knew and and everything else she felt and crash into his arms.

She knew she would keep that part locked away and soon forget it. She had to.

Their was so much in her life worth more than Sirius Black.

She just had to make sure that he wouldn't betray her, that he wouldn't let his ego damn her.

Her thoughts were interrupted by an arm around her waist. Her first thought was one of dread and perhaps delight, her body instantly interpreting the arm as that of Sirius. She turned in her seat only to see the raven black hair of the last boy that could ever be anything resembling Sirius, the only person that positively could never hear about her transgression.

After a slight pause at the look of shock on her face he broke into a shadow of a smile and bent to kiss her, his lips gently pressing into the ridge of her eyebrow.

She fixed her face into a soft, albeit tired smile and tried to focus on the present.

"Morning Sev. Ready for another exciting day of roots and leaves and Gryffindors?"

He groaned and pulled her off the bench in response, rolling his eyes.

"Thank you so much for bringing that unpleasant fact to my attention at least 2 minutes sooner than necessary, Nim."

They walked out of the hall together, and to the Herbology lab where after nearly an entire school year of dating, they were still appraised by confused and at times rather annoyed housemates.

"Fun, fun, fun" Nimue muttered under her breath.

Severus looked down and entwined his fingers with hers.

She couldn't help but smile as she cursed her infidelity and prayed he would never know.


	2. Nine Crimes Cont

I've lowered the rating to try to get more traffic, but again please review!

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Chapter 2

9 Crimes-Part 2

"Well Ms. Lupin?"

Nim started and found the class looking at her. "I'm sorry Professor Sprout, I didn't catch the question. Ma'am."

She fumbled with her notebook in an apologetic attempt at attentiveness.

The frumpy witch sighed and instead asked Alice Letare what the properties of Dragon-Snaps were.

"Well professor, they have several useful applications, including-"

Severus looked across the room at Nim. Her eyes were boring holes into the work table in front of her, the flush of embarrassment still scarlet against her ethereally pale cheeks. _She's been off all day. Is it something I've done? _He had a rather embarrassing habit of becoming totally fixated on her, and had to work to pull himself out of his reverie. It was bad enough the whole school knew he was dating her, he couldn't bear having his housemates seeing him drooling over her like some type of lovesick puppy. As he tried to collect his thoughts he couldn't help but notice, for the hundredth time, the way Sirius was looking at her.

He clenched his fist against the table and was rewarded by a rather affronted yelp from the Dragon-Snap he was meant to be grooming.

He tacitly apologized to Professor Sprout before turning his back to Nim in an attempt to make it thorough the class without any more embarrassment. Black was not likely to stop looking at her like a piece of meat, his for the taking, and there was nothing he could do to stop it, not here in front of the staff.

Severus began roughly waxing his Snap-Dragons whiplike stems and tried to think no more of it.

Nim groaned and massaged her neck, head drooping low in front of the Gryffindor fire.

The night was approaching an obscene hour, but she could not sleep. She was thinking back to her relationship with Severus and attempting to walk through why she had gone to Black. She had read a few of the silly Witch Weekly columns borrowed from the other girls, and it seemed this type of thing generally stemmed from boredom, alcohol, or anger. While not as bright as her brother Remus, Nim was a thinker, and her disgust with the irrationality of her actions kept her toes to the fire as she tried to find where reason had left her.

There was no doubt that she had endured a considerable amount to be with him. She had been kept away from the school for medical reasons until 5th year, by which time Lily had begun to date James and Severus had taken to pacing the lonelier parts of the grounds and castle. She had fought to gain his trust and earn passage into his lonely realm. At the beginning of 6th year he kissed her by the lake, and then the trials had truly begun.

To many, including her brother, James and Sirius, she had been seen as a replacement for the glory that was Lily. In the most hidden corners of her heart she worried that those doubters were right, that were Lily to leave James, everything Severus had ever professed to feel for her would be thrown to the side.

"Not that he's professed much at all, to that point, " she muttered tiredly.

It was true that they were young and Severus was never one to be carried too far by emotion, but that did little to lessen the sting that he had never claimed to love her, and the one time she tried to apply the sentiment to him he left in a huff and avoided her for days.

He had looked at her with the cold look she so abhorred and sneered, "Don't be absurd Nimue. You are far to young to know anything about what you do or do not love."

She hated when he treated her like that, like some fragile woman-child who knew nothing and felt nothing real.

Nim sighed and knitted her brows together. His thoughts on her inexperience had nothing to do in the matter. She knew her fears were silly, after all, no Slytherin would willingly date a Gryffindor unless it was truly special, right?

_I'm being ripped in two._

Her rational and compassionate side adored Severus. She admitted that part of the attraction for her had been the thrill of such a forbidden conquest. He was so dark and brooding, such an opposite of the boys she had grown up with in the country And while her adventurous side had first found something magnetic about the shadow of a student, it was her compassion and awe of his genius that truly made her fall in love with Severus the man, not the ideal.

And now she had risked all that work, all that trust, for a roll in the hay with a shallow womanizer like Sirius.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid."

_Then again, his main problem, and attraction is how different he is from Sev. He's self-assured and playful and always wanting to be in the center of the crowd. He looks at me like I'm an object that he has to own. And I...I like that, sometimes. I like feeling like I make him lose control, like I can lose control. I like being young and celebrated._

But adventure was not exactly the bedrock one built a relationship upon. For every moment she wanted to devour Sirius, there were two where she wanted to hex him into another dimension.

_Okay. Hypothetically...Just hypothetically. I dump Severus. Which I wont. But If I did. What then? I tell him the truth, he tries to kill Sirius, me, Remus etc. Refuses to speak to me ever again. But I'm free. Well, Sirius doesn't want Remus to know, I'm sure. So he don't date, he ignores me, and every once in a while might bed me. In secret. Without any love behind it. I end up alone and without anyone, or I end up alone after being ridiculed, if people hear about Sirius. Goody._

She arched back into the tired red velvet of the chair, absentmindedly stroking one of the chairs polished brass rivets.

"Long night?"

Nim turned slightly and saw Lily curl up in the sofa behind her and run her fingers through the tangle of her hair, green eyes awake with mild curiosity.

"Hey Lily. Eh...just trying to figure a few things out."

The slim woman studied her with sympathy and gently propped herself up on one elbow, in the tell-me-anything stance.

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

Lily got no reply.

"I mean, if it's Severus maybe I can help?"

Nim suddenly felt the exhaustion fall down onto her. She shook her head and tripped up the stairs. She ran clumsily, unable to face the image of Lily Evans, so much like her but prettier, more compassionate, and always better able to understand Severus.

Always better.

Nim climbed under the covers and sobbed silently, emerging only when the light told her it was time to begin the charade again. Lily would never have cheated. Lily couldn't help her with this.


	3. Summer's Last Stand

A/N: Okay, so it's been forever and a day since I've updated. In fact, over a year now. I stumbled back on to this and realized I wanted to continue the story, despite the huge hiatus.

I initially stopped because of the college transition and a lack of reviews. I love the one review I got, and I'm going to keep on trucking. I realize Nim may look like a Mary Sue, but I am aware of the line I'm playing with and I promise this story is not about her magically fixing everything and seducing everybody with her super-powers and great body. Her bra doesn't even shoot lasers. Honest! So, with all that said, lets get back to our cast shall we?

The most optimistic students were lounging on the grounds by the lake, clinging to the last remnants of a summer that most sane people agreed was well over. Naturally, the vast majority of these students were Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors, as Ravenclaws and Slytherins were far too sensible to spend their free time stubbornly pretending it wasn't autumn. Most of the huddles of red and gold and of yellow and black were behaving unremarkably, but one was causing quite the scene.

Lily Evans had somehow been convinced to engage in a round of a Muggle game called "Chicken". James, who had proffered the idea, had not told her that his version involved water. The very chilly water of the lake, to be exact. Once he was sure she was well secured and not holding her wand, James sprinted to the water.

"James! No! No, you put me down this instant! I'm warning-" Lily didn't have time to complete her protests as James fell backwards, soaking them both.

"Huhk-hmph." Lily shot straight up, thoroughly soaked. She was looking forward to summoning a storm-cloud to follow her half-wit boyfriend around. She'd get to see how much he'd like unexpected showers.

James had surfaced as far away from Lily as possible, but he was still well within her spell range. He grinned sheepishly at her and tried to look as innocent as possible.

"James Potter, give me one reason I shouldn't hex you right this instant."

"Well, that look really shows your figure to its best advantage."

Lily raised her wand and her eyebrow. James sped his speech up a bit.

"And and and! I got myself soaked too, so clearly it wasn't malicious and I didn't think it was so cold and have I ever told you what a lovely and talented lady you are and how honoured I am to-"

Lily tried to hide her smile, but failed. She couldn't help it. James grinned lopsidedly at her and didn't finish his latest attempt at groveling. Instead, he trudged through the waist deep water, first to Lily, then to the shore.

"You know James, one day you will be old and ugly and very likely rather fat and your pleas won't work on girls anymore."

James hung his head in mock solemnity. "Yes, I am aware of time's cruelty. That's why I'm determined to use charm to my advantage as long as possible. After all, without it, I wouldn't have you snookums."

Sirius groaned and threw his apple core at the happy couple. It bounced off James' temple.

"You two are disgusting, you know that? I thought nothing could be worse than Potter's incessant wallowing when you kept blowing him off, but this is definitely less tolerable. Who under the age of 40 calls anyone snookums? Seriously."

Lily rolled her eyes and performed a drying spell on herself. James, seeing she had no intention of sharing, performed his own charm and turned his attention to Sirius.

"You're just jealous. Deep in that playboy heart of yours you want a snookums too."

Sirius let out a series of theatrical shudders as James swept an errant strand of hair back into place behind Lily's ear. His task complete, he gently nibbled her ear and whispered what was undoubtedly more romantic mush.

"Not really, but now I definitely want a lobotomy."

Lily chimed in, "Really? Because I can definitely arrange that. No charge or anything."

Lily and Sirius played at feuding quite often, enjoying riling the other up. In reality, after a few choice words on her behalf about what would happen if Sirius tried to thrust one of his "sullen whores" on James, Lily and Sirius had got on quite well. He respected her attitude and how happy she made his friend, she enjoyed his carefree spirit and air of comedy. At least, most of the time.

Sirius smirked as Lily plopped down and retrieved her potions text. James grinned at his friend and followed suit, albeit foregoing potions for his Quidditch playbook. Remus had watched the exchange silently, too busy trying to solve a particularly hairy arithmancy problem set to contribute much to the conversation.

Their diversion over, the four Gryffindors passed the rest of the day with their books and a few games of wizards chest.


	4. To Brie or Not to Brie

AN: I've changed Lily Evans' birthday for the purposes of the fic. Same age, just born in early September rather than late January.

Remus, who didn't see the need to do his hair before dinner, unlike _some_ people, made it to the Great Hall before the rest of the lake group. He slid on to the bench next to his studying sister and across from Peter, who, as usual, had seated himself as close as possible to the Gryffindor cheese plate.

Remus greeted his rather tragically proportioned friend and waited for his sister to tell him what exactly had crawled up her ass.

"So, what's going on? I thought you'd be among the most dedicated to the preservation of summer."

His sister had always loved the outdoors, her only reprieve from the homeschooling she had received for most of her life.

Nim peaked out from behind the transfiguration book that she had failed to absorb all day. "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about. And it's not summer. It's not my fault you lot are too stubborn or stupid to realize the seasons have changed." She resumed her attempt at reading, ignoring her empty plate and her brother.

Remus furrowed his brow. He thought Nim had made it out of her bratty phase when she'd finally been allowed to attend Hogwarts. If he had to start putting up with her weird mixture of fits and silent treatments again he would explode. Sighing and chalking it up to female teenaged angst, Remus poured himself some tea and tried to decide between the duck and the rabbit. His dual nature as wolf and man had left Remus with a distinct preference for game meats. Peter meanwhile, unable to choose between a block of Munster and a Dubliner, grabbed both.

Luckily, Remus was spared the boredom of Peter's conversation and the annoyance of his sister's silence by the arrival of the rest of the lake sitters. Although he occasionally shared Sirius' disturbance with the number of pet-names James had for Lily, their company was still better than being ignored or forced into another conversation about the best means of processing cheese.

"Hey there. Congratulations on spending ten minutes to make your hair look like you just rolled out of bed. In a whore-house."

"Thanks Moony. It's hard work looking this good and making womenfolk's minds instantly turn to bed. I'm glad to know it's working."

Remus shook his head and settled on the braised rabbit and a side of collared greens. Sirius refused to look past Remus and instead focused his attention on his shepherds pie. Nim had made no attempt to speak to him, or to talk about their encounter, so he was bloody well going to follow her lead. The last thing he needed was an angry female, her werewolf brother and a greasy git after him all at once.

Lily, always the concerned friend, was rather less inclined to leave Nim to her foul mood. She gave James a meaningful look and after a few seconds he caught on.

"Nim, you're studying early for next weeks Transfiguration demonstration?"

She nodded her assent, not bothering to look up.

"But your goat is already 9/10th of the way towards being an ottoman."

"It still nibbles at any shoes or socks left on it. Hardly an acceptable feature in furniture designed for feet. "

"Well, I'm sure you'll perfect it in no time and be able to relax."

Nim didn't respond. James would not take a hint.

He carried on anyway.

"Which is great, since we were planning on having a proper Muggle style sleepover in the Room of Requirement this Friday."

Nims words were becoming acidic: "And why on earth are we planning to do that?"

She had no patience left and resolved to stop responding all together. But this time it was Lily who spoke, rather than James.

"Well of course it's pretty stupid and it'll probably be really dull compared to wizarding parties, but Fridays my birthday and 16 is kind of a big age for some Muggles and..."Lily's voice started to falter as embarrassment at her idea began to sink in, "...and when I was little I always imagined a muggle 16th birthday party and I just thought...I mean...if you guys were willing I'd like to pretend for just the night...I mean, it's a stupid idea, we shouldn't bother," she finished lamely, tears pricking behind her eyes.

James was trying to find the right assurances to give, but luckily Nim cut in.

"_Oh!_ Oh no, I mean, that sounds wonderful. I'm sorry Lily, I'm being a complete prat. I've always wanted to go to a muggle party. They always look so festive. It's a great idea. I'm sure everyone would love to come."

The boys quickly voiced their wholehearted agreement and begged their assorted gods that Lily wouldn't start crying. The Marauders were old enough to care for girls, but still a bit young to have any idea of why they were constantly bursting into tears or how to deal with those tears. Even James and Remus were only in the tissue proffering stage. Sirius would either ignore them, reasoning that that's what guys wanted in the same situation, or offer sexual distraction. This impulse was what had led him to bed Nim, and wasn't really an option for Lily. Peter was still trying to figure out how to speak to girls in general, much less in times of distress. His attempts at cheese-based conversation starters had been resounding failures.

Luckily for the boys, Lily was much improved by their enthusiasm and no tears appeared.

The rest of dinner passed pleasantly enough.

Lily was newly enthused about her party and insisting that the guests make their own hats rather than letting the Room provide them. Remus and Sirius spent much of the meal adding to the birthday discussion or arguing about whose Astronomy homework was correct. Even Peter was pleased, discovering Nim was not totally opposed to his largely cheese-oriented conversation. Nim was almost happy for Peter's boring, safe conversation, since it gave her a way to ignore Sirius without snubbing the rest of the group.

As the last of the pumpkin juice cleared (a subtle hint from the house elves that it was time to leave), the Gryffindors got up as group and headed for the door. Nim was determined to apologize to Lily more fully for snubbing her birthday idea and sped up to walk next to the girl. As she passed Sirius their hands brushed for the briefest of moments and a spark shot through her, bringing forth the memories she was trying so desperately to forget. That she needed to forget.

_Him cradling her, lips brushing away her tears and hesitantly finding her mouth. The feel of his arms wrapped around her as he pulled her on top of him. The urgency and hunger of their bodies, wrapped together and lost to a primitive and desperate need. _

She did not look back at him.


End file.
